The New Fight
by ShadowX264
Summary: After drifting around for weeks on end, the Chief and Cortanna are picked up by a mysterious race who enlist his help against an enemy older and more terrifying than the flood.
1. Chapter 1 Masked Meetings

Drifting aimlessly through space was the aft section of a spaceship, the ship was quite badly damaged and had seen better days but now it was drifting, far away from home and far from its creators civilisation of humanity. Despite this the ship still housed two life forms: one was an AI, an artificial intelligence who had been in sleep mode for many weeks now, accompanying her was her protector, the so called "saviour of Humanity" John 117, the Master Chief.

The Chief and his companion had been drifting for many weeks now, after detonating the ark, a powerful weapon built by his ancestors to stop an alien race known as the flood, and saving the known universe. The Chief and Cortana were sleeping peacefully. The ship, 'Forward unto Dawn', had been ripped in half following the explosion at the ark and only one half had made it through the portal back to earth, this half contained the Chief's other companion, an alien known as the Arbiter who had since returned to his home planet. Humanity had built several memorials to the Chief, believing him to be dead, not knowing he drifted silently through the stars.

It was here that the new chapter begins and the Chief will learn that there are far more terrifying things out in the stars than just the Flood.

Stirring in his sleep the Chief was dreaming. He dreamt of Earth and how humanity had endured thanks to him. He had no regrets leaving it, for that's what he had been trained to think: do what must be done, and he had done that. The cryo-pod he was in prevented him from awakening and kept him in blissful slumber. Meanwhile, outside in the cold space, another ship was approaching. This ship was most definitely not human and contained many strange life forms. The ship's scanners began to scan the 'Forward unto Dawn' for life signs. They picked up one, and a signal resonating from the ship's CPU, the aliens who scanned it conversed with one another speaking in a language quite peculiar to that the Chief was used to.

The time that was spent scanning the ship had allowed Cortana to be awoken. She peered through the ship to view the spacecraft and realised this wasn't covenant troops, or the flood. By being in such a poor condition neither she, nor the ship, were to put up much resistance so it was no problem for these strange aliens to get access through the airlocks. By activating a strange cloaking device the three aliens began to scour the ship for the life form and AI. Cortana on the other hand had awoken the Chief, quickly asserting herself and gaining access to his helmet she filled him in on what was happening. They were in poor gravity, which meant that the Chief's movement was slower than usual and meant he was more vulnerable. However as long as he shot first he would win. The aliens, on the other hand, had found the Chief's cryo-pod. However no life form was located, instead they found an empty space with an empty gun rack. The Chief watched silently from behind some crates as the aliens used high tech equipment built into their strange helmets to scan the records of the pod until they found what they were looking for: a file on John 117, the last surviving Spartan. Decrypting and translating it into their own language the aliens scanned the data file. Reading it with interest as they read about his military campaign against the covenant, the flood, and how the Chief was the final surviving super soldier and all he was capable of doing.

The Chief, deciding that now was the time to act, began to creep up behind the alien. However, instead of firing off a round, he thought it to be simpler to knock the alien out like he had done to so many before. He crept closer. The alien was still unaware of his presence. Readying the butt of his assault rifle he struck. He made perfect contact with the alien but it was unaffected. Startled, the Chief leapt back in amazement as this alien turned around revealing a physique to rival any Brute or even any Hunter he had seen before. Dreads and strange armour covered this being and it wasn't long before the Chief found himself face down on the metallic floor of the 'Forward unto Dawn', before he blacked out.

The Chief awoke feeling lighter. He looked around before realising his armour had been removed. Sitting up he found himself in a room with no-one else around before noticing his armour on the far side of the table he was opposite, not hesitating he picked it up and put it on before noticing something was different. It was clean, shiny, and felt like it had been reinforced with something. Not stopping to admire the detail the Chief located a door and snuck out. In the next room he found various computers and other non-human mechanics which appeared strange to him. Looking around the room he saw two of the aliens standing around some kind of virtual screen. Popping up from the screen was Cortana. Not stopping to think the Chief ran in to attempt to liberate his comrade from the aliens, but being in his armour on metallic flooring the aliens quickly picked him up before turning around. The Chief attempted to throw a punch with his right hand at the creature which was easily blocked before he was knocked across the floor skidding to a halt at the base of one of the computer terminals. Then one of the aliens raised its hand as if to say "stop", then it placed its hands upon its mask and removed it. The Chief was shocked, standing before him was one of the most extra-ordinary aliens he had seen before, built like a human but far stronger with peculiar skin. The alien had dreads and a weird jaw which reminded him of the Elites on his previous encounter, it was then he heard Cortana speak.

"Chief," she said, "It's alright, they aren't hostile. They saved us from drifting and they were allowing me access to their mainframe so I could persuade you."

"Persuade me to do what?" asked the Chief standing tall to face his alien adversary.

"Help them." replied Cortana softly

The Chief was bemused. Why would they, a strong race, need his help? They could have killed him then and there. He thought about this for a second, although his fight was over, he was still a Spartan and he was meant to be called to duty whenever he was needed.

"What do they need me for?" he asked.

"To fight a race of creatures they have been battling for many thousands of years." replied Cortana.

"And what exactly is it I'll be fighting?"

"I'm not sure, they won't allow me access until you have proven yourself, all they gave me is the name of the race in their language."

"Which is?"

"Translated to our tongue? Xenomorph. I'm cross referencing it with military records from the 'Dawn', we may have run into them before. The 'Dawn' wasn't always a military ship. During its early years it was a cargo vessel used by a company called Weyland-Yutani"

The Chief stood there staring at these creatures, before he finally spoke:

"Alright. I'm in."


	2. Chapter 2 The Rite of The Hunt

**Chapter 2 – Rite of The Hunt**

Leading the Chief down a corridor was a large alien being. The alien walked straight on and did not look back. Meanwhile the Chief was staring around at this technology. As he examined his new surroundings he noticed other aliens all dressed in the same kind of gear. Around belts they wore were skulls of creatures, some looked human, others weren't.

"What exactly do I call these guys anyway?" asked the Chief to Cortana.

"Well, basing this on their records, they are a predatory race. So we will call them Predators. They don't speak much, and if they do, they use pre recorded statements they have recorded with their equipment whilst on hunts. They also posses highly advanced weaponry, which may appear primal, and would easily match any of our weapons." replied Cortana.

Their conversation was stopped when the leading Predator came to a halt in front of a door which opened before him. Walking inside he beckoned the Chief inside, who followed cautiously. He was met by a variety of weaponry all looking nothing like the gear he was used to. He found himself being handled by the predators who proceeded to fit him with many strange devices: a device on his wrist, a new kind of glove for his other hand, a strange shoulder device, a belt containing various discs, a spear like device on his back and a dual ended blade spear crossing that, and a strange kind of sword on his belt. When finished he looked forward and saw the Predator which led him wearing the same kinds of gear.

"I think he wants to train you Chief, hang on."

"What's wrong?" asked the Chief.

"The creature sent me a message through his device on his wrist."

"What does it say?" the Chief pressed.

"It reads: 'this system has been set up so myself and your AI can communicate in your tongue. She will translate these messages and feed them to you, understood?"

The Chief nodded in approval. The alien nodded back before pointing at the device on his wrist. The Chief raised the device up to look at it, discovering all the symbols which the predator had on his had been translated into English.

Cortana spoke again "This device is going to be one of your greatest weapons, it controls various different features. It contacts the ship in case of trouble, it activates your different fields of vision so you may see more clearly when the enemy is invisible, it houses the blades which we fitted to your wrists which can be activated at anytime, it controls your cloaking so you may remain silent and stalk your prey, and it activates a powerful bomb which should only be used if absolutely necessary."

Again the Chief nodded in approval. The alien took one of the discs off his belt as did the Chief, the Predator sent another communication to Cortana.

"These sharp discs are for medium range combat, or to chase down a fleeing enemy. There are two kinds on your belt which you have been fitted with, one of each for now. The first is an energy disc, it uses hot energy to cut through many objects including living tissue. The other is equipped with blades on the sides and is more useful in wounding as opposed to killing a creature."

The Chief began to wonder why exactly they hunted with such primitive tools if they had the potential to use such awesome technology

The Predator pulled out a spear from its back, as did the Chief. Cortana once again spoke.

"These two weapons you have been given are two of the most prominent amongst our kind. We do not rely on ranged combat; we use stealth and close range combat to hunt our prey. Only in the most dire situations do we resort to projectile firing. Being a soldier of Sector 142's army, I am assuming you have been trained in melee combat, have you not?"

Assuming the Predator meant Earth the Chief nodded.

"Now to your final weapon, do you notice the shoulder device we have fitted you with?"

Again the Chief was silent but nodded,

"Good, turn it on with your wrist device. It works much like a computer on your planet. Leave it to me, Chief." Cortana stopped mid translation and activated his shoulder cannon, three red dots came out of it. Cortana began translating again: "Those will show you where you aim. To control it a new system has been outfitted into your helmet, meaning that wherever your eyes go the sight will follow. To fire, simply you would need to have our system in your helmet, but as you do not possess the necessary skill to master it, we allowed your AI to control when you fire your shoulder cannon. That's nice of them." added Cortana sarcastically.

The Chief was still puzzled,

"How do they expect me to master this when all I can do is train on a ship?"

Almost in direct response to his question Cortana began to translate again,

"You will be allowed five days to train on this ship before we test you. We are going to drop you and your AI onto a planet which we have hunted on for generations. Once there you will hunt and kill one of the species that lives there. As the species on that planet are all toughened by climate because of their way of life, you will be put to the test there."

The Chief had a blank look on his face and remained silent, thinking it over in his head, _why am I doing this?_

Five days passed before they reached their destination: Section 0067, a lush planet filled with rich jungle and natives who carved their way of life much like humanity did in the past. Looking down at the planet the Chief looked the same as he always had done, however his heart was different. Although he was a Spartan super-soldier, created and trained to serve Earth and her colonies, out here he wanted to prove himself. After all he was still only human, Cortana spoke to him again.

"Heads up Chief, I'm getting a message from the bridge."

"Play it." he replied.

"117, this is your target. You will be dropped off in a jungle outside a village on the Western half of the planet. It will be night so this will be a good time to get used to your different fields of vision which I'm sure you've been training in. Your target is the village leader, he is a strong being who stands 9ft tall and is trained well in forms of combat. The villagers themselves are skilled soldiers, which is why you are recommended to use stealth. Your armour may retain its shielding but it will still degenerate if you are hit too much. The villagers have keen eyes so do not rely on your camouflage too much. Finally, when you kill the village leader, you are to use your wrist blades, take his skull and spinal column and present it as a trophy. If you complete this task without subsequent damage and good use of stealth you will be accepted and allowed into the fight."

The Chief made his way to the airlock and prepared for the hunt.


	3. Chapter 3 Familiar hunt

**Chapter 3 –A Familiar Hunt**

Being dropped into the jungle, the Chief felt immediately at home with his surroundings. Being trained as a SPARTAN he was trained to deal with enemies in environments such as these. However he was always taught to fight as a unit with a group of fellow Spartans or Marines, this time it was just him and Cortana against an enemy they knew nothing about.

"I'll keep scanning both the 'Dawn's CPU for information about these Xenomorphs and the Predator's relay for information regarding these mystery species we are hunting. Try and scout out the area, if you need your shoulder cannon just yell."

"I think I can handle myself." The Chief replied, activating his cloaking. It felt familiar to those that the Elites (of whom he had previously battled) had used. Walking casually around it wasn't long before he found his target, a village inhabited by what he assumed to be his targets. He decided that it was time to take to the trees. Climbing the trees was made far easier by the aid of his wrist blades, which he used to dig into the tree and pull himself up. Perching himself upon a branch he attempted to scan for his prey, however as it was dark his regular vision was useless. Instead he switched to a form of infra-red where he could detect the body heat of his enemies, and from that, work out the shape and what weapons they were using.

When he switched it on he was met by a familiar sight, standing guard in the village were a group of creatures standing a few feet taller than the Chief. Built broadly and carrying hammers and spears as weapons, at that point Cortana popped up.

"So you have discovered it then?"

"They look like Brutes." said the Chief bluntly.

"That's because they are. I found a data file on our hunt and due to your recent activities with the covenant they felt it would make you more at home fighting a familiar enemy."

"Weren't all the brutes killed or consumed by The Flood?"

"No. There was a civil war on the Brute's home world many years ago. During the trial of another young Predator, the Brutes were fighting amongst themselves and his target was the leader of the Brute's: a Chieftain. However before he could get there, another young brute killed the Chieftain and assumed the position. The Predator was forced to evacuate the planet due to the intense brutality being waged in the combat. Not long after that a selection of ships landed on the surface and took with them the new Chieftain and an army of brutes, we can assume these were the brutes we were fighting. These brutes are less...civilised, shall we say? They are terribly strong and have more primal senses than the ones we were fighting. Our best bet? Stay hidden and distract them. So that we can get in, kill the target, and slip out to the extraction point."

"Understood." said the Chief.

"I'll keep digging up information about our Xenomorphs, but until then try not to get killed."

The Chief knew this threat was different than the previous ones he had faced. Slipping down from the tree he continued around the village and snuck up behind a duo of guards who were arguing.

"I tell you, I smell something." said the first.

"It's just your imagination." replied the second, "Nothing comes close to the village anymore, not since we proved ourselves as the dominant tribe on this world."

"We lost too many troops in that battle, was the fight really worth it?" asked the first.

The second one turned,

"Do not question our leader, he wields the hammer of the gods, and has proved himself worthy to do so."

"That doesn't change the fact I heard something." argued the first.

"You heard nothing, but if you really are scared… _ROAR!_"

The second brute let off a terrifying roar to scare anything away. Many birds and small creature fled the trees in an attempt to escape, but The Chief remained camouflaged by the trees and his cloak he knew he was not going to get anywhere unless he took them out. Attacking them head on would be suicide as the entire village would be alerted to his presence, and the shoulder cannon was out because it was night and tracing the targets and energy trail left by the blast would be too easy for his keen eyed targets. No, for this fight he would need to resort to stealth and assassination. Realising what must be done the Chief reached behind his back and equipped his dual blade spear. Utilising his new reflexes installed into his suit he leapt from tree to tree until he was positioned almost above his enemy. The wind was blowing in from his right, so if he dropped in front they and the village would not smell him initially but he did not want to risk it. Hanging from the tree he swung behind them and landed on another branch.

"I heard something over there!" yelled one of them preparing to throw a stone spear at the location. Chief threw one of his discs at the branch above them cutting it clean and making it fall crushing the two. The distraction had worked and now troops from the village were running up to investigate the crash. With security low in the village it was time for the Chief to make his move, sticking to the high ground he made his was into the village before switching to the mud rooftops, hardened by the sun of the day. They proved adequate, if slightly noisy, stepping stones. Not stopping for a second he quickly located the biggest dwelling and assumed it was the chieftain's home, his suspicions were confirmed when the door flew open and a smaller brute came flying out. Thrown by the larger brute he had clearly been quickly overpowered, the large brute spoke.

"YOU INTERRUPTED MY HAREM FOR _THAT?_ A BRANCH, FALLING ON TWO MEN IS NOT A MASSIVE PROBLEM, _YOU IDIOT!"_

"B-b-but sir, I thought you might just want to know." begged the other brute.

"IF YOU INTERRUPT ME AGAIN FOR ANOTHER _MEANINGLESS _REASON, I'LL GUT YOU AND USE YOUR FURS AS A GIFT TO ONE OF OUR ALLIES. IS THAT UNDERSTOOD?"

"Y-yes sir." confirmed the smaller one.

"Good, now get out of my fucking sight!" the larger brute returned to his quarters and the Chief made his move.

Leaping onto the roof of the house he noticed a hole in the roof for letting smoke out, luckily there was no fire lit as the brute wanted to create atmosphere. Peering in to survey his target he could see the brute attempting to serenade another. At first the Chief believed this to be a male brute, but when the other spoke he found it was a female, as her voice wasn't as growly and she was smaller than him.

"Sekrak," she said authoritatively, "I may have been a peace trade from my uncle but I will never be your bride."

The Chieftain smiled,

"Unless you want your family to die, you will do as I say." He then threw her across the room; cowering in a corner she was scared beyond her wits as the large brute advanced on her. Now was the perfect time, falling in through the hole the Chief made a noise as he fell.

"Whose there?" questioned the Chieftain slightly turning his head, the Chief then removed his camouflage to reveal himself.

Still not turning, as if to show disrespect, the Chieftain asked, "What kind of pathetic species are you?"

The Chief replied, "The kind that kills yours!" Moving with the speed and grace he had been taught through his training. Before the Brute could turn he found himself impaled by the Chief's wrist blades, feeling the pain the Chieftain attempted to call for help but couldn't, the pain he felt was overwhelming. While this was happening the Chief stopped for a few seconds and gazed at the blood dripping from the Chieftain's wound, he was always used to killing from a distance and never saw that much blood in a single being before. He was used to death, but not death of this calibre.

"_Ahhh!_" the Chief turned and realised that the female had alerted the others to his presence. Not thinking the Chief remembered his instruction: obtain the head and spinal column. Pulling up through the back the Brute's spine and head came off easy. The Chief found himself holding the severed spine and head of an enemy that had underestimated him, something that he would not be doing again. Attaching the head to his belt the Chief turned to leave only to find a squad of brutes armed with spears and hammers at the door. Staring in awe at their leaders corpse they turned their attention to the Chief.

"A DEMON!" yelled one, a name the Chief was used to by now.

"KILL IT!" yelled another.

The Brutes charged with spears and hammers. Realising what needed to be done, the Chief prepared himself for a close combat battle. Using his still bloody wrist blades he swiped at the spears which were being jousted at him, slicing them with ease. As he swung around he quickly retracted his wrist blades, reached onto his back and unleashed his dual bladed spear. With a series of savage cuts and slashes he quickly sliced through the brute squad. Turning to the female in the corner he looked back and activated his cloak and ran. By now the villagers were on the lookout for him but did not know where to find him. With his camouflage active he quickly escaped back into the jungle.

"Chief," said Cortana "What happened? I was exploring the archives when-"

"It's done." He replied.

"What do you mean?"

"I killed him and have his head."

"Chief-" Cortana began.

"It needed to be done, if there is a threat to humanity then maybe siding with these Predators will help." He interjected.

The Chief was silent, as usual, and kept walking. Above him he noticed a ship which proceeded to land in the clearing in front of him. From it appeared one of the Predators who looked at the Chief. The Chief then took the Brute's head from his belt and was accepted onto the ship and sat down before a group of three predators. Cortana then began to translate a message.

"Well done human, you have proven yourself and are ready to join our fight. We will allow your AI access to our database on your new foes as well as the location. Now get some rest and prepare for a new fight."

The three Predators walked off into the darkness and the Chief soon left to retire to his appointed room. The room he had been given was small. It contained a bed to sleep in, an area to wash, and a toilet. It was clear these Predators were not so different from humans in their evolution and structure, but in instinct and technology they were far superior. As he sat down Cortana began to speak.

"Chief, I've found some information you might like to hear about our new friends and enemies."

**What has Cortana found? where will they go next, Will The Chief Regret his decision, And will i use the Flood in this story? well i might depended if the twists call for it anyway hope you enjoyed i shall continue to write this and Soniyasha as best i can again hope you enjoy please Review i like to hear feedback**


	4. Chapter 4 Caught in the Hunt

**Chapter 4 - Caught in the Hunt**

After Cortanna told the Chief that she had found some new information, he decided it was best to retire to his chamber aboard the ship while it took them to their next destination: wherever that may be. The Chief sat down on his bench and unplugged the chip of Cortanna and inserted it into one of the portals on a holo projector, immediately she came up in front of him.

"Phew," she said relieved, "It was getting a bit cramped in there," she chided jokingly. However the Chief was not in the mood for jokes, he only wanted to know what was going on. He got up and stood in front of Cortanna, waiting to hear the news.

"Right," she said "Here's what I've got. According to their ship these creatures used to come to Earth and used it as a hunting ground, what to hunt I don't know, but it was ages ago since they last visited. Too long ago to even have a date. I can reference this, however, with Earth's calendar, either that or they don't keep records. It seems that on a routine mission to Earth the carrier that was sent there crashed and was subsequently destroyed. Just at that time it seems that all data relative to Earth's position in the universe for then vanished from their databanks and couldn't be retrieved, since then they appear to have been searching for something. What I'm not sure of but I'm sure we will find out soon enough. As I was saying they also appear to have had a rivalry with this species they mentioned earlier, the Xenomorphs. The rivalry appears to be a hunter relationship with the predators being the hunters; they seem to be a test of the young predator's ability to survive a hunt with these creatures. I can't give you any sufficient information about what they do, how they fight, but I can tell you they are more vicious than anything we have faced before."

The Chief got up and looked out of his window. He could see they were already on the move again. He could see planets and comets zooming past as they went deeper into the unknown on a fight which the Chief had not wanted to be a part of from the start but was made to for the sake of Earth and her colonies.

"Chief I've intercepted a message from the bridge to one of the high ranking predators."

The Chief turned,

"It says the human did well on his last hunt but we need more proof before we can trust him, and we need more time to analyse that ship of his and give him another hunt. The Sangheili will be perfect; it should allow time for us to assess the situation."

The Chief looked at Cortanna and she knew what he meant:

"I don't know what situation they mean but we are just going to have to play along. Anyway I think you're going to enjoy the next hunt, these guys will probably be as pleased to see you just as much as the Brutes were."

The door opened to the Chief's chamber and a towering predator walked into the room. It was easy to see why he was one of the higher ranks: his belt was lined with the skulls of various species, and his arsenal was filled with much more powerful versions of weapons than the Chief carried. He looked upon the Chief who stood facing him, unmoved by the alien's size or apparent strength. The predator showed no signs of weakness, nor respect. The Chief, as far as he was concerned, was a human along for the ride, but nonetheless he pointed out the window. The Chief turned and looked upon a planet, Cortanna then began to speak.

"This is your next goal human, prove yourself here and you will have our full attention. We will drop you outside one of their cities and your goal is the same as the last: eliminate the ruler and bring his skull to us."

The Chief looked back at his 'ally' and nodded.

Cortanna spoke again translating for the predator, "We will drop you in 10 minutes. Be ready." She finished translating and the alien walked out of the room leaving the two standing looking at their next goal.

"Take a look at the planet Chief," said Cortanna pointing at it. The Chief turned and looked down again.

"Those purple spots are cities, the rest appears to be covered in jungle. Now who do we know who made cities using purple buildings?"

The Chief had a realisation as she said this,

"That's right. We have a winner: Elites."

The Chief was stunned, his old foes. He had cut down many Elites in his time but they were allies in the war against the flood and the Covenant. Now he was expected to hunt them, but this time without his weapons. These warriors were fierce melee combatants and had proven themselves by cutting down many marines and SPARTANS in their time. Now he was to hunt an Elite elder. There was no time for thinking, what must be done must be done. So he readied himself and headed down to a drop ship ready for dispatch.

They dropped him and Cortanna in a jungle area outside one of the purple cities at the dead of night. The buildings were not all that high, about 5-7 stories at maximum, and shone purple as light reflected off them from the lighting. However the main challenge would be getting over the city wall which surrounded it. Activating his camouflage and moving out he found himself at the base of the wall very soon.

"Now, how do you plan on getting across this?" asked Cortanna.

The Chief didn't respond, instead he unsheathed his wrist blades and dug them into the sides of the walls and began to climb. As he reached the top he heard two voices of patrolmen guarding the city.

"What was that?" asked one.

"Sounded like another wrark beast ramming the wall again." Replied the other.

"Foolish creatures." Answered the first.

Judging from the sounds emanating from the top of the wall he could gather there was only two on this section, and they would be easy to deal with. It was now he put his plan into action. From here on there was no turning back. He dug his wrist blade into the wall and made a loud noise whilst keeping his camouflage active.

"Foolish creatures, I need the target practice anyway." Said one of the Elites walking towards the edge of the wall, plasma rifle in hand. While the other looked the other way and began adjusting his energy blade.

As the first Elite looked over the wall to aim at the creature he thought was ramming the wall, the Chief went into action. He used one of his wrist blades and stabbed the Elite clean through the chest. He let out a painful roar before the Chief cut smoothly and quickly through his chest ending his life before pushing him over the edge and hurling him five stories down to the jungle floor. The other heard his friend's roar of pain and drew his energy blade walking cautiously over to the edge. There he raised his arm, ready to strike down the foe which clung to the walls. However the Chief was faster, using his full strength to pull himself up with one arm and then to slice at the elite with the other. Once onto the wall he checked the damage he had done. On the floor lay a severed arm and against one of the sides an Elite writhed in pain, clinging the stump where his arm once was, howling a scream of pain which would alert the entire city if not careful. The Chief acted swiftly; using his combistick spear to impale the elite through the chest and end his life quickly. He was used to being surrounded by death, but not death of this caliber. He had to act quickly before more patrols came and discovered his deed. Drawing back his blades he leapt onto a nearby building climbing to the roof to survey the city. Reaching the roof he looked around, he saw it was very familiar to High Charity using the same architecture and building scheme. He soon realised his target was in the centre, in the tallest building. Looking around he saw that most of the buildings were interconnected with walkways and, as long as he remained quiet and stealthy, he could get across them without arousing suspicion. But then his eyes were drawn to something else, a building which was smaller than the others in size but much wider. It appeared to be a circular building with a central arena where warriors from the city would fight to prove themselves or for the armies to hold recruitment drives. Either way it was unimportant: the Chief knew his goal. He activated his camouflage once again and headed out across the walkways to the tallest building.

It wasn't long before he found himself on the roof of the target building, but then Cortanna spoke to him.

"Chief plug me into one of the terminals, I'll pull up some info on our target." Reluctantly the Chief did as he was asked and plugged her in, whilst keeping watch for patrols. It took a few minutes before Cortanna spoke again but this time she pulled up some good news.

"Good news Chief: our target is only on the floor below us, you just have to find a way in."

The Chief looked around the roof and saw many small skylights which would be good entry points if he could cut through them unnoticed. Approaching one he peered down, he could see his target in the far end of the room prepping what appeared to be weapons. He recognized some of them; he saw an energy sword, a plasma rifle and his favorites - the plasma grenades. Yet, surprisingly, his target did not draw his blade. Instead he put it into a trophy shelf and observed it - _a symbol of his previous life in the covenant perhaps?_ Thought the Chief, either way he began to cut through the skylight. He did so slowly with his wrist blade but then something went wrong, about halfway through the cutting, the glass gave way and fell through. Although the Chief was not on the glass his target was alerted but he was not scared, he merely laughed.

"You can come out now," he said confidently "That camouflage will do you no good!"

The Chief realised his mission had been compromised, but he still had to return victorious. Dropping down he could see his target in more detail. He wore ceremonial armor, similar to that worn by Elites in his previous encounters. Deactivating his camo the Chief revealed himself; the Elite ruler spoke again.

"Ah, it is another young predator who wishes to prove himself. Things not been going well since your little pets escaped onto your planet did they?"

The Chief and Cortanna were confused,

"Wait," said the Elite "You're not a predator; you look like a familiar species." He observed the Chief, "Oh well it doesn't matter either way. You won't make it out of here alive." He said.

There was a tense moment where the Chief and the Elite stood facing one another. Then Cortanna interrupted, "CHIEF 180!" she yelled.

He turned quick enough to see two energy swords raised high in the air ready to strike him down. Acting quickly, he sidestepped the first sword and spun behind the Elite wielding it. Grabbing the Elite's neck he twisted it quickly and upon hearing the snap of a neck he threw the body at the other sword carrying Elite before rushing them while the Elite ruler stood and looked on. Making a final strike with his wrist blades the Chief stabbed the second Elite through the chest and pushed his blades in deep before retracting them, watching his foe fall before him. He turned, apparently victorious to face his target once more, when he was greeted by a needle in the side of the neck piercing where his armor did not cover. A powerful toxin coursed through his body and he fell unconscious before hearing the words: "You could prove interesting."

The Chief awoke with a pounding headache and to the words,  
"Thank goodness, I thought I'd lost you."  
It was Cortanna and she was still in his head. He looked down and found that his weapons all, apart from his wrist blades and combi stick, were gone.

"Looks like we got lucky, they seem to want you alive for some reason. Maybe you impressed someone with your agility?" She said sarcastically.

"Well alien, it seems you are alive." The Chief looked round and saw a loudspeaker in the corner of the dark room in which he was situated.

"Welcome to our little play pen." Said the voice.

"You have been quite naughty. Four accounts of murder and an attempted assassination of the ruler. Well this is your punishment." He said and just then a white light shined from one of the walls and he saw crowds of Elites cheering and roaring down at an arena with a cold metal flooring.

The voice spoke again, "We will punish you in our arena, and there you will most likely die facing three of our toughest warriors in a three on one match. Even if you survive you must then face our mightiest warrior. We will let you use some of your weaponry, but it would be quicker if you just accepted your death. Now step up and face your punishment." The intercom ended.

The Chief knew he was in some real shit and he didn't have any other choice. He had to kill his foes using his combat experience and training before he was killed himself. This time it wasn't for Earth or any other planet; he was doing this for himself to survive.

He stepped into the cold arena and felt the eyes of a city upon him, all the Elites in the stands roared and shouted at him and he could see up in the high stands the Elite ruler looking down from up high. He did not have time to consider his mission for as soon as he left his pen the door slammed behind him and when he looked in front of him he saw three Elites all standing wielding energy swords and staring him in the eye. Each was wearing a different shade of armor. One being silver, one steel, and one bronze. These were not like the other Elites, these were heartless warriors battle hardened and unable to do anything else but thirst for combat. The Chief saw their determination and for once he felt respect for them, even if that was overshadowed by the pity he felt for them being unable to do anything other than fight.

The Elite ruler spoke, "FIGHT!" he declared and immediately the three Elites ran at the Chief. They held their swords high, armor ready to take any punishment, bodies willing to accept any pain as long as their goal was accomplished. The steel Elite was the first to reach the Chief and took a swing directly at his chest, but the Chief was able to jump back and avoid the swing. However, as if by clockwork, the bronze Elite jumped over the steel Elite's head and lunged straight at him. Reacting purely upon instinct the Chief did a quick back flip and avoided the stabbing sword. He was able to land a small kick into the face of the bronze Elite making him stumble backwards into the steel Elite who pushed his comrade off him and slapped him telling him to be more alert. The arena rang out in roars of distaste and the silver Elite, who at this point had decided to hang back and observe his opponent, decided it was time to truly fight. He began to charge at his opponent but as he ran he activated his camouflage, the other two Elites did the same and now the Chief was faced with an empty arena, looking carefully around he was unsure what to do, then he remembered: thermal vision.

"Cortanna." He said abruptly.

"On it." She replied, activating the helmet's secondary vision.

And just in time, as the helmet adjusted to the new vision he saw a red and orange blur lunging towards him. Diving to the side and landing on the floor he looked back and saw the Elite's blade stop dead on where the Chief's stomach would have been if he was still standing there. The Elite looked to the side at the Chief who looked back, but then the Chief noticed the Elite looked up. The Chief looked up and saw an Elite bearing down straight towards him. Rolling quickly to the left he heard the energy sword pierce the floor. Wanting to do some damage to his attackers he quickly rolled back up and used the momentum of his roll to send the a kick into the side of the Elite, whose sword was still stuck in the ground. The kick forced the Elite to let go of his blade and crash into the other Elite who was still standing where he had attempted to stab. The Chief then saw that the third Elite was standing at the arena wall, waiting for something.

"They are out of camo Chief, quick!" Said Cortanna; deactivating the thermal vision for the Chief and revealing her statement to be true. Yet, once again, he saw it was the steel and bronze Elites who had found themselves at the front of the attack, and were now recovering from the counter attack the chief had performed. Once again the arena filled with the roars of elites thirsty to see the criminal die. The bronze and steel Elites both pulled back to the silver Elite and, together, they formed an assault formation. With the bronze and steel Elites taking point, and the silver Elite taking on the final strike. The bronze Elite drew a second sword from his belt to replace the one which now lay next to the Chief. The Chief looked at the blade and picked it up, realising he would probably need it.

"Chief," said Cortanna abruptly, "You're going to have to end this somehow. There's three of them and one of you. Even if you have killed many before these are different, end it now."

_"Easier said than done,"_ he thought, _"On the next attack I'll do what I can."_ He thought to himself.

The Elites initiated their attack. The first Elite, the silver one, ran followed by the bronze and the steel. They ran in a line, becoming perfectly in sync so as to make them look as one. The Chief stood firm, energy sword ready. He attempted to analyse their attack and tried to grasp their technique. It was then the Elites made a mistake. The second Elite put his foot down at the wrong time as if he was going to jump left, as did the third who looked as though he would leap right. It was then that the Chief grasped their strategy. The charge was a ruse: the two behind the silver elite would pounce from both sides. This then left him open for the final blow from the silver Elite. The Chief was correct about their strategy and saw the bronze Elite jump to the right. Acting quickly he intercepted and sliced clean through the Elite's armor and slicing the skin leaving a deep gash. Now, with the first Elite laying on the floor bleeding, the other two changed their strategy. Without a moment's hesitation, both charged the Chief who picked up the bronze Elite's other energy sword and ran back at the other two. The two remaining Elites were desperate, as anyone could tell as they had left seemingly thrown strategy out the window. As they ran at the Chief, blades held high ready to strike down the criminal, they made their last mistake. The Chief ran at them also acting quickly he ducked underneath their blades and used both of his swords to leave the same gashes deep in them. The two Elites fell down to the ground. All three Elites were now dead on the floor. The arena was in shock, three of its mightiest warriors had been killed by a strange, yet somewhat familiar, alien. The Chief felt the anger pour down upon him.

"That's seven now, Chief." said Cortanna.

The Chief knew he was racking up his kill count yet again, but it had to be done. He looked up at the Elite ruler who was visibly angry. The entire arena appeared to be united under one name which they all chanted in force:

"RHIL VAHG, RHIL VAHG, RIHL VAHG!" They all shouted.

Outside the arena, a lone Elite wandered up to the doors and stopped, he looked at the guard outside.

"Why are they chanting his name?" asked the Elite.

The guard responded, "An alien was caught trying to eliminate the ruler, he was put against three of our warriors. I guess he won. Now the crowd must want Rhil Vahg to finish him off."

"Hmmmm." Thought the Elite.

"If you mind me asking sir, why do you continually wear that armor, does it now serve as a mark of shame?" asked the guard.

The other Elite looked up, "That is exactly why I wear it, to remind me of my previous failure."

"My apologies, sir." Replied the Elite, "Would you like to watch the fight?"

"What race is the fighter?" asked the Elite.

"He looked human, but he was far too tall and armored to be any human I remember."

"A human?" questioned the Elite, "I wish to see. Open the door and let me in."

"Yes Arbiter." Replied the guard.

The Arbiter stepped into the arena and made his way to the bottom stands so he could get a better view of the fight as it progressed.

Meanwhile inside the arena the ruler spoke, "ALIEN!" he shouted at the Chief.

"You have bested three of our top warriors, but as you can hear this crowd wants more! So you must now face our mightiest champion, a veteran of many wars. Some of which you could not possibly perceive. RHIL VAHG!"

The gate on the far side of the arena opened and out stepped a huge Elite, much bigger than the others and wielding dual energy swords with an evil look in his eye. This was the champion Rhil Vahg. The champion stepped out and took a huge roar which frightened some members of the audience, but the Chief stood tall ready to fight his opponent. While in the bottom stands the Arbiter had made his way to the front and took a gaze upon the arena floor, he immediately recognized the figure which stood before the champion.

"FIGHT!" Yelled the ruler.

Immediately the crowd roared in anticipation as Rhil Vahg prepared for battle.

"WAIT!" yelled The Arbiter leaping down from the stands and catching everyone's attention, even the Chief's who recognized his old ally.

"The Arbiter?" questioned Cortanna, "What's he doing here? Oh, besides saving our skins." she added.

"Arbiter?" Questioned the ruler, "Why do you stand before this criminal and defend him?" He said in rage, the entire arena roared in distaste.

"He is not a criminal, he is a hero." Replied the Arbiter.

"WHAT?" yelled Rhil Vahg, "THIS WEAK CREATURE? PAH, THE ARBITER HAS GONE SOFT."

"Have you all forgotten the events of the flood war?" asked The Arbiter to the crowds.

"This human is a veteran of that war, and we all have a name for him." He continued,

"And that name," he said to a silent arena "is The Demon."

The entire arena gasped and then fell silent and stared at the Chief.

"I think we just got way more attention than we bargained for." said Cortanna.

**there you go a quick chapter to keep you all interested, i hope you enjoyed it, i spent a while thinking up how to bring this little twist into it but i expect you all saw it coming, sorry for no alien appearences yet but they will come and there will be a few more fight scenes too anyway ill spend a while writing the next chapterwhen i get time, sorry ive had alot of coursework to deal with anyway rate and review please :)**


	5. Chapter 5 True Intentions Part 1

**Chapter 5 – True Intentions Part 1**

The arena was a buss with chatter from the curious elites looking down at the alien being which stood before them, defended by one of their greatest warriors

"is this the Demon?"  
"Destoryers of the Rings and Flood?"  
"he is alot shorter than I have heard"  
"where are his fangs?"

The Chief and Cortana were caught in the middle of the arena with the Arbiter standing by them. The champion however was not as curious as his bretheren, Rhil Vahg let out a roar which shook the foundations of the arena.

"RAAAAAAAAAARGH" he screamed "IF THIS IS THE DEMON THEN WHY DOES HE NOT FACE ME IN COMBAT?"

"what a charming personality" remarked Cortana sarcastically  
"it is the way of the arena" informed the Arbiter "the strongest and most efficient at killing survive and are given the most luxurious treatment, for many it is a way off the streets, others a kind exit from their cruel existence"  
"im sure your friend has alot of luck with the ladies then" replied Cortana

"ENOUGH TALK" yelled Rhil Vahg "ARBITER, STEP ASIDE"

"that is for the leader to decide" said the Arbiter, looking the champion striaght in the eye

The arena and its participant looked up at the leaders chair to see what his decision would be, would he allow the champion to fight, or would he accpet the Demon upon reputation alone.  
He spent many minutes in thought, thinking about what would be the best decision given the current circumstances on his planet. He finally came to a decision, he looked up then down to the arena floor and made a gesture to the champion, he gave the thumbs up, a signal for the champion to do battle.

The arena erupted with cheers of anticipation as Rhil Vahg prepared for combat, he shook down and streched his arms ready for using his blades. The chief meanwhile merely observed his opponent, The arbiter was in shock.

"leader?" he questioned "why?"

"Arbiter, this being may be the Demon of the covenant, but now that matters not, his past does make him an interesting species, however that does not overlook the fact he is still being tried on murder, and judging by his weaponary and techniques, which Im sure you have all heard about, we can assume who sent him, can we not?"

The arena whispered the words to one another

"Xenos?"  
"disgraceful hoarders"  
"the call themselves Predators"

"Xenos?" questioned Cortana "what do you know of them?"

"they never told you?" asked the Arbiter  
"of course they didn;t tell them Arbiter" said the leader "keep the meat in the dark"  
"well Demon" continued the leader "if you best our champion, Rhil Vahg, I will be more than happy to reveal your new 'friends' intentions with you, and your homeworld"

"what do they want with Earth?" asked Cortana

"BEST ME AND FIND OUT" yelled Rhil Vahg  
"NOW ENOUGH TALK, ARBITER STEP ASIDE AND LET US DO BATTLE"

The Arbiter realised there is nothing more he could do for them and reluctantly exited the Arena, as he passed The Chief he nodded, The Chief returned the nod as symbol of respect, The Arbiter theen walked towards the exit and headed back towards the stands where he could watch the fight from up close.

Once The Arbiter had left the arena floor, the fight was to be started.

"ummmm chief you might want to check your weapon" said Cortana nervously  
The Chief lookd down at his blade which he had stolen from his previous battle, it was entirely out of energy, all that was left was now the handle of the blade, he tried activating it, but all he got was a flurry of sparks which were not going stop the two baldes which Rhil Vahg was now wielding. The Chief looked up at Rhil Vahg who stood in his place laughing.

"ha ha ha, so much for the almightly Demon, he doesn't even remember the basics of energy weapons"  
"DAMN" thought the Chief, he was in real deep shiz now, his wrist blades were of no use as the energy weapons of Rhil Vahg could potentially slice through the metal, and if that happens he would loose his only other weapon. He looked at his armour, it still had its energy shielding active and the plating didn't appear to be damaged, however, the energy swords were incrediby powerful weapons, and he knew thaat one strike would potentially be able to cut through the shielding, plating and gel layer of his armour. A strategy would be a good idea at this point in time, Quick.

"CHIEF!!" Yelled Cortana

He looked up and saw Rhil Vahg charging at him, dual blades wielded, running at him with both blades behind him as he ran, making him more streamlined and agile, Rhil Vahg charged close and bought both his arms round to deliver a double slice accross the Cheifs chest, he then planned to bring the blades back in a second cross slice to finish him.  
The Chief thought quickly, using all his strength and speed he grabbed both of Rhil Vahgs arms before they could cut him, he was holding both his arms just before the hands of the elite, struggeling to keep the elite from cutting him with the swords, he could tell they ere both using all theri strength.  
The arena burst out in cheers of excitement as both warriors stood locked in one position, The Arbiter lookd on in awe as the Chief held back the champion who was clearly struggleing to match the Spartans strength.

Back on the arena floor the warriors were thinking up new stratgeies, Rhil Vahg was thinking.

"if i keep up the pressure he will give in, then i can deliver the final cut"

The chief on the otherhand was getting desperate, there was some truth to Rhil Vahgs thought, he couldn't keep that up forever, sooner or later he would fold. Thinking desperatly he ignored Cortana screaming in his head he needed to do something. He looked the champion in the eyes and saw the frustration, he then noticed he was begining to shake with anger at the fact that the human was still holding him off.  
The chief kept thinking noticing the Elite was beginning to push his blades closer and closer towards his chest, he looked around for anything which could prove useful or anything to give him an idea, he then realised, the champion was probably putting alot more strength to his arms than the rest of his body, meaning he wasn't dug in with his legs. The chief took a breath.

"nothing ventured" he thought preparing for the attack "nothing GAINED"

He took a deep breath and, using all the strength he could muster he swang himself round to the right and began to develop a spin, still holding onto the champion who was ebign bought along for the ride.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS" yelled Rhil Vahg  
The chief remained silent and kept spinning and built up some momentum.

The arena looked down in at the Chief who was exhibing a strange technique, not even the Arbiter knew what he was going to do.

The spin became faster and faster, using the champions bodyweight as momentum, The chief finally felt like it was time, he swang the champion down but didin't let go, he then swang up and launched Rhil Vahg into the air high above the arena floor until he almost reached to top of the dome, the chief quickly regained his composure and looked up at his enemy.  
Rhil Vahg had already chosen a plan of action, he would use the gravity as speed and use the Demons courage against him, he would dive at the Demon, and use his blades to impale him,

"The Demons over confidence will be his defeat" thought Rhil Vahg

The Chief had also devised his own strategy, assuming the champion had taken the one he had assumed he would take.

The arena reamined silent as Rhil Vahg built up momentum and fell, putting his blades in front of him ready to impale. The chief meanwhile stood his ground directly underneath the champion.

Rhil Vahg fell faster, but still the chief did not move

"brilliant" thought Rhil Vahg "it's all going exactly to plan" as he continued his decent with increasing velocity.

"Chief, you might want to move" hinted Cortana

Rhil Vahg increased his speed and readied his blades

"Chief" said Cortana willing him to move

Rhil Vahg was now within a few meters and was about to strike

"CHIEF" she yelled

This was when the action took place, time seemed to slow down for this moment as the speed used was incredible, leaping backwards out of the way, onto his left leg, the chief avoided the attack of Rhil Vahg, using his leg like a spring he bent it as he lept back to build up pressure. As Rhil Vahg fell he came onto eye level with The Chief, who looked him square in the eyes, using the pressure from his left leg as a spring he lept forwards and using all his strength in his right arm, punched Rhil Vahg clean in the chest, piercing the elites armour and sending him flying across the arena into the oppoiste wall.

There was a moment of pure speculation as everyone in the arena, even the leader awaited the fate of their champion, the chief meanwhile stood still, still with his fist outstretched with purple blood on his fist and shards of armour on the floor.

In the debris of the wall the champion rose up, he looked doen and saw his armour had been penetrated and there was blood dripping out onto the floor, but it wasn't his enemy's blood, it was his blood.

"Blood?" he thought "I am spilling MY WARRIOR BLOOD FIGHTING THIS HUMAN WEAKLING?!!" hee continued "unforgivable"

"YOU HEAR ME DEMON UNFORGIVABLE!!!!" He yelled across the arena floor

Rhil Vahg walked back towards the arena floor, he walked with an angry look in his eyes and stared towards his adversary. Anger filled the heart of the champion, so far he had not managed to land a single hit on the Demon but had been knocked back already, he stopped about 50 meters from the chiefs position where he stood ready to counter.

Rhil Vahg looked on at his enemy "he is so calm...Pah he will die like the rest of his race". The Champion began formatting a plan.  
"if I run in quick enough and go in low I can strike his knees and leave him defenseless" he thought to himself

Like a flash Rhil Vahg bolted for the Chief rushing him as quick as he could, being an experienced swords master he had had a great many duals and had won using this very technique to incapacitate his opponant. He got withing a few meters of the Chief and acted his plan, he began to duck as he ran bringing his blades down to the knee level and went for the slice.  
But the Chief had already seen his enemy's movements and predicted this outcome, as if perfectly timing his counter with his opponents actions, the Chief went high, jumping to avoid the blades while his opponent dashed passed him, as they passed time seemed to slow for a brief moment as Rhil Vahg looked as his opponant who continued to avoid him, but his distraction would cost him, for while he watched the Chief pass he felt a strong force in the back of his head, the Chief had used what force he had in his legs to kick Rhil Vahg delivering more damage to the already hurting champion.

The two once again were on opposite sides of the arena, the crowd and the leader were loving it, they watched as their champion was put through his paces by the human who defeated the flood with the Arbiter. The leader looked on, and wondered "why does he not abandon the fight and attempt to take my life, thats what the xenos have wanted, they wanted our society on this planet to collapse so they could easily swoop in and extract those eggs from that temple we found weeks ago" he continued into deep thought until he spoke to one of his guards  
"bring the Arbiter here, i have some questions for him" he said to his guard  
"at once sir" said the gurad leaving to get the Arbiter

When the Arbiter arrived at the leaders seats he was offered one.

"come, sir Arbiter" said the Leader  
"what is this about sir?" asked The Arbiter  
"we need to figure out what the xenos want Arbiter, I think you may be able to help us"  
"anyway I can sir" said the Arbiter  
"excellent, now remember we have the human planets locations on our databanks do we not?"  
"indeed we do sir, incase we need to return to assist should any other threats surface which they cannot handle"  
"and that ship you escaped the ark in?, did it also have the human worlds location in its databank?"  
"no sir, The Demons companion stored it in her memory, she wiped the databank when as an emergency procedure before we escaped"  
"its coming together" whispered the Leader  
"excuse me sir but what?" asked the Arbiter  
"I think i Know what is going on now, remember that temple we unearthed with the strange eggs in?" asked the Leader  
"yes sir we were forced to destroy them due to the hostile creatures within, the temple was resealed" answered the Arbiter  
"it must be a Xeno building Arbiter, and the Demon we know was working with them, his companion must not have given them earths location and they cannot salavge anything from the other end of your ship" explained the Leader using his theory  
"so what you are sayin sir is: you believe the Xenos are using the demon to first attempt to assasinate you?" began the Arbiter  
"yes Arbiter, then they would use the Demon to reopen to temple and be attacked by those creatures, the markings on the wall showed human like creatures, so we can assume they would assertain the humans locations and spread those vile creatures throughout the system"  
"but why?" asked the Arbiter  
"im not sure" replied the Leader "we will see what the Demon knows if he survives Rhil Vahgs rage that is"  
Their attention turned back towards the arena as Rhil Vahg had gone berserk, he was swinging at the Chief with his blades wildly and fast, he continued to swing and the Chief continued to avoid him.

Cortana was getting worried

"Chief please take care of him soon, he is making me nervous"

She wasnt the only one, the Chief had been trying since the knee slice attmept, the kick was supposed to knock him out cold, but he kept on coming. Finally Rhil Vahg managed to hit the chief with one of his blades, striking downwards he hit the chief leg, slicing through his protective shield and armour, the gel layer was able to take some of the impace but it stopped the Chief who was forced on one knee, this was when Rhil Vahg finally stopped swinging adn looked down at his adversary, he began to laugh and raised one blade above his head.

"goodbye Demon" he said and took a swing at him

But the Chief wasn't done yet, he grabbed the blades handle and began to squeeze on the elites hand, he applied all the force he could until finally Rhil Vahg was forced to let go and stumbled backwards. Now armed with a blade of his own the Chief stood, uneasily, to face his opponant. Rhil Vahg drew his other blade and looked up at the Demon, the two shared a look that said only one thing.

"one cut" said Rhil Vahg  
"one kill" finished the Chief

The two ran at each other and sliced, dashing passed one another and stopping a few meters separate. The arena froze and watched the two statues as they stood still in the arena.  
Finally Rhil Vahg looked down and saw he had been cut even more open that he already was, he was bleeding profusely and fell to his knees and passed out.

"you did it Chief" said Cortana but with no response  
"Chief?" she asked

But the Chief had also looked down and saw his wound, a deep cut accross his chest cutting through his shield, armour and gel layer, he saw blood on the armour and he too then passed out onto the arena floor, but not before he heard a voice.

"I GIVE YOU OUR NEW CHAMPION"

It then went black.

**Sorry that took so long people ive had exams and coursework to get on with, hope this keeps you happy, with Bioshock 2 and AVP coming out soon i may not have much time, ill explain the full story between the Predators, the Elites, that temple, those eggs etc. next time :)**

**If you enjoyed it let me know :)**


	6. Chapter 6 The enemy of my enemy

**Chapter 6 - The enemy of my enemy of my enemy is still my enemy**

The Chif opened his eyes, he was on a planet with an orange sky, he heard several explosions going on around him, as he looked around he saw shattered buildings, broken bodies of UNSC marines and as he looked up he saw a huge covenant cruiser overhead, it dropped hundreds of Phantoms across the wide are of buildings which seemed familiar to him. The he heard a voice above all the explosions.

"MASTER CHIEF SIR" he heard someone yell

"SIR WE NEED TO EVAC NOW COVENANT FORCES ARE SWELLING AND HAVE JUST BEEN REINFORCED BY SEVERAL WAVES OF PHANTOMS CARRYING AA WEAPONRY WE NEED TO PULL BACK NOW SIR, REACH IS GONNA BE TOAST SOON AND I GOT REPORTS OF GLASSING GOING ON EVERYWHERE PLANETSIDE" shouted a UNSC medic

The Chief was still confused but began to run, he ran along a street filled with broken buildings, rubble everywhere and plama scarring on many bodies of marines, he kept running obeying his instict to surivive, the medic was screaming into his comms line to get some evac down before more AA could move in but they were refusing.

"DAMMIT" he yelled, stopping suddenly "LOOK SIR COMMAND WON'T GET AN EVAC BIRD DOWN HERE, THIS AREA IS TOO HOT" "THERE IS A COURTYARD ABOUT 500 METERES FROM HERE WHERE SOME ODSTS ARE HOLDING UP, IF WE HELP THEM CLEAR THE COVENANT WE GET OUR BIRD"

The Chief understood and the two made their way to the courtyard.  
when they got there they found four ODST units held up behind cover, pinned down by plasma fire.

"GOOD TO SEE YOU CHIEF" shouted the commanding officer "I THOUGHT WE LOST CONTACT WITH ALL SPARTANS WHEN COMMS WENT DOWN"

"WE NEED TO NEUTRALIZE THAT TURRET SIR" shouted one of the ODSTs armed with an assault rifle

"THATS IT IM GOING" shouted an ODST with a rocket launcher

As they watched him run out, he fired off one rocket which went straight for the turret, unfortunatly it was taken by the shield generator and he was cut down where he stood by a barrage of plasma fire.

"DAMMIT JAMERSON" yelled the CO "ALLRIGHT LOOK MEN WE NEED TO FLANK THIS TURRET AND DEAL WITH THE AA WRAITHS, WE WILL PROVIDE COVER WHILE THE CHIEF FLANKS THEM TO THE RIGHT CHIEF DEAL WITH IT IN WHATEVER WAY NECESSARY, MOVE MEN"

And with that the plan was put into action, the three ODSTs and medic ran left to distract the turret while the Chief ran right to take it out, how he was meant to he didn't know but there would be a way.

As he approached the right side of the turret a troop of Grunts and three Elites appeared weilding needlers and plasma rifles he took action. Running forward and jumping, the primative homing ability of the needles overshot him entirle while the plasma was deflected by his armour and shielding, he landed square on top of two to the Eilites, crushing them with his armour and knocking back the other one with e quick punch. Finding two SMGs in his holsters in his armour he quickly deployed them against the grunts, mowing them down with a few rounds left. He then approached the turret and saw that the ODSTs were now fighting off the turrets fire and trying to withstand an attack by sniper jackels from some towers on the north of the courtyard. Looking down he saw two plasma grenades dropped by one of the elites, he picked them up and threw them, using all the strength he could, they were propelled across the courtyard and landed squard on the scope of one of the beam rifles, detonating and killing both snipers. He then felt something was wrong as he turned he saw an Eilite wielding a sword ready to strike him.  
He quickly moved so the Elite struke the turret, ripping off some of its plating exposing some of its circuitry, seeing an oppertunity he acted fast. Leaping over the elites head and using it a springboard he jump over the turret the threw the last grenade into the exposed point, within three seconds the grenade detonated, causing a chain reactions which sent the airbourne Chief sky high and sent debris flying everywhere, he hit the ground with a thud.

When he awoke it was only a few seconds after, he was on his back and as he looked up he saw UNSC pelicans, being shot down by covenant AA batteries, he rolled onto his front and saw the bodies of UNSC ODSTs and one medic, he had failed. He was srill deafened by the sound of the explosion, he looked around and saw a pair of alien feet walking towards him, dragging an energy blade cutting into the floor. He found himself pinned up against a wall, with a blade being proned to stab him, he was very weak now. He then heard the Elite speak.

"Demon, Wake Up"

Then suddenly it went to White.....

He awoke and saw he was inside a room, laying down on a comfortable surface with a clear view on things, he looked around and saw he was hooked up to some machines which appeared to be monotirng him, he looked down and saw he was not wearing his amour and realised his helmet was off, he then noticed a huge cut on his chest where Rhil Vahgs blade had pentrated his armour and his body too. He then looked around and saw the Arbiter sitting next to him, he looked at his alien adversary and friend.

"our machines picked up agitations in your sleep pattern, are you allright" asked the Arbiter

The Chief nodded slightly

"I assume you want you armour back?" asked the Abriter

The Chief simply nodded again

"nurse" said the Abiter calling over to one of the female elites who was walking by "please can you retrieve our champions armour from its repair station" he asked  
she nodded and walked away

"this must be the first time you have had to be out of your armour for many weeks now" said The Arbiter

The Chief nodded again "I don't like to be seen without it" he remarked

"a true warrioir, not wanting to leave that which he uses most in battle" replied the Arbiter respectfully  
"we had to repair your armour and shielding" continued the Arbiter "it had sustained quite abit of damage from the blades of Rhil Vahg"

"where is..." began the Chief

"Rhil Vahg?" answered the Arbiter "he is in a separate area of the hospital to you, we thought it best to keep you two apart in case of an unwanted ourbreak"

The Chief rolled onto his back and looked up at the white ceiling.

"your armour champion" said the nurse "would you like to get changed now?"

The Chief stood up and began to uncouple all the machines from him

"would you mind moving out of the curtain for a minute Arbiter i have to help him get changed, he suffered considerable internal damage"

The Arbiter moved out of the curtain and allowed The Chief to get changed, when he came out he noticed the Chief looked a little confused.

"we had to make make modifications to your armour" he said

The Chief looked up at the Arbiter

"ill explain on the way to the briefing" he continued

"where is Cortana?" asked The Chief

"your construct has already been briefed and is awaiting your arrival at the leaders residence, come we must go" said The Arbiter.

The two then began to walk down a busy street which reminded the Chief of some of the super cities on earch, he saw craft similar to Seraphs flying around as civillian fighters, and banshees were painted all a generic colour.

"our policing vehicles are what we have from the covenant days from the hangers of all our cruisers" said the Arbiter "we stopped weapon manufacturing when we realised civil war was pointless, now we only make weapons in case of galactic conflict, and with your arrival we may need to start making more weapons" said the Arbiter unsurely

"what about m suit?" questioned the Chief as they walked

"we had to reinforce the plating as it was severly damaged by the fighting, we also imporved your shielding so now it is twice as strong, we had to get rid of all your xenopred weaponry as it had tracers in it, we didn't want them finding us first" said the Arbiter worryingly "we added two new weapons instead, your former wrist blades are now two enerygy blades which you can use on each arm, to activte them simply request it when the time is right" The Arbiter said reassuringly

The Chief was a little confused at the idea of thinking to activat the blades but he had no choice at this point

"we also added a special surprise in, with the addition of your new shield the power source is shared with your secondary weapon, look at your right hand" continued the Arbiter as they walked through the streets.

The Chief looked at his hand and saw it had a strange hole in the glove, not very deep but lined with a different metal material.

"it is a new experimental weapon we developed from forerunner technology, if you so wsh you can use the power from your second sheild into your hand and release an energy blast with devastating effect, we believe you are probably one of the only warriors who can wield this power due to your combat abilites, the blast will be enough to destory most things like beasts and walls and we think it could beable to bring down a cruiser if it hits in the right place"

The Chief was interested in his new suit and was wondering when he would get to test it out. But there was no time now, they had to hurry to the briefing so he could know who his true enemy was.

When they arrived at the leaders building they found The Leader and Cortana in the room waiting them

"Chief" exclaimed Cortana standing on an acesss terminal

"sleep well" she asked

"no thanks to your help" he said sarcastically

"so you did miss me" she replied in an equally sarcastic way

"Demon" said the Elite leader "you proved yourself in the arena and for that you have my congratulations, as soon as the fourth member of your squad arrives we can begin the full briefing"

"Fourth Member?" excalimed Cortana

"Squad?" Exclaimed The Arbiter

Just then the door opened to the leaders place and in stepped a familiar figure.

"YOU" exclamied Rhil Vahg looking at the Demon "ILL KILL YOU" he shouted

"YOU WILL DO NO SUCH THING" replied the Leader "I called you all here to speak about pressing matters not slaughter each other, now all of you SIT"

They all put their feelings aside and took seats, with the Chief and Arbiter exchanging unfavourable looks with Rhil Vahg

"Now as you all know, the Demon was contacted by the xenopredators, which means only one thing, they want to revive their hunting ground and seal the universe again"

The Cheif was confused

"ill explain fully" said the Elite leader "many centuries ago your species were in contact with a group of aliens whom we call Xenopredators, they hunt for honour and only care about the hunt, they used your species to breed an even more dangerous foe than the parasite, xenomorphs, they taught humans how to build and were worshipped as gods, they asked for sacrifces to breed the xenomorphs and hunted them, for many decades the hunts went on as planned, until the xenomorphs overran them one day and they were forced to abandon their temples there and use otherhunting grounds, unfortunatly their species went into decline loosing all thier galactic data, eventually were almsot wiped from existence"

The Chief was taking all this in while Cortana was cross referencing this with all she knew

"we thought them dead until we encountered them in our convenant days, we quicky dispatched some of their ships while the rest fled to slip space, after we left the covenant and destoryed the ark we settled here, where we found an abandoned temple, when we investigated it sent a beam of bright light into the sky, that was a few weeks ago, a few days later we had a xenopredator attempt to kill me but he was killed...."

"BY ME" interupted Rhil Vahg

"yes...by Rhil Vahg" continued the leader "your contruct tells me you were picked up two weeks ago, this would put you being found just after we activated the beacon, we now believe that the xenos wanted to send you here to kill me, and throw our society into chaos, they would then tell you to go into the temple to retireve something from their past possibly a Xenomorph egg or specimen to unleash onto our chaotic streets and spread their plague and harvest some when they wanted to, while they scanned your ships drive for your planets location and all of your planets colonies so they could hunt again, killing you once they had what they wanted, you were the perfect tool" Finished the Leader

Everyone was in shock

"so they wanted to hunt us?" asked Cortana

"yes" answered the leader "thats all they live for"

"pah they take hunt weaklings a good battle is one with a worthy opponant" said Rhil Vahg angrily

"what does this all mean for us?" asked The Arbiter

"we have decided that it we need you to destory both these menaces from time, so their evils cannot be spread any more" said the Leader

"how do we do that?" asked Cortana

"me, my advisors and sceintists have formulated this plan: we think that the temple we found must contain a self destruct on it, its the only way for the xenopredators to make sure their secrets are not stolen by other species, you must activate it" the Leader began

"can you not just send a batallion of soldiers to do so?" asked the Arbiter

"the scientists have deduced from the symbols on the temple that if anyone steps inside it begins an intircate set of shifting so the entire temple beigns to shift to make the hunt more interesting, it also releases 12 captive xenomorphs from ice slumber, one of which we believe is a queen, and egg layer a producer for the whole species" The leader continued

"we want to send in a small group of elite forces into the temple to get to the centre past all the xenomorphs, and destory the temple," he finished

"what about the predators and queen" asked Cortana

"what we need you and the Demon to do is to use your communicator to call the predators and tell them its all clear and tell them you have found the temple but there are comlications, they should then land and investigate, when they find its open they wil run to try and find you in the temple, the shifiting should mean they cannot catch up, when you activate the self destruct they will run to the centre to try and halt it, the queens natural instict should kick in and tell her its their fault meaning she should go after them rather than you, by the time they reach the centre it will be too late and the temple will blow killing the scourges of the galaxy once and for all hopefully"

"what about the city leader? surely they will see the lights and realise he had failed" asked the Arbiter

"i will order a city blackout so they believe we are all dead or hiding" answered the Leader

"so what do you all say?" he asked

The Chief looked down and thought "how many battles he had been in, how many times he had saved people, now what was he doing"

his train of thought was interupted by Rhil Vahg "Whats wrong Demon? Battle shy? hahahaha" he said sarcastically but with a degree of happiness to his voice

The Chief stood up and walked to the Leader where he looked into the Elites eyes "ill be ready to go within the hour sir" he said calmly

"EXCELLENT" exclaimed the leader "Arbiter?" he asked

"i am always ready to serve my people and the galaxy when it needs me" he said honourably

"Good" confirmed the Leader "Rhil Vahg?" he asked

"I will not turn down the fight of a lifetime to those two, i will prove I am the true Champion" he said

"Very well then" he finished "your construct will reside in your helmet Demon, Arbiter and Rhil Vahg you two will be given communications devices so you can remain in constant contact with all four of each other"

They all nodded

"now go and prepare, we being operations in the next 6 hours"

They all walked out of the Leaders office and headed off the prepare for the Ultimate fight

**Sorry about the long wait, just finished the last few details and wrote this up, rate and review please, it should all fit together now and hopefully motives are now clearer chapter seven i dont know when enjoy this though **


	7. Chapter 7 What leaves plasma burns?

**Chapter 7 - Predators don't leave plasma bur...oh wait they do**

As The Chief sat in the Phantom drop ship with his newly configured armour he thought to himself, how did he get into all of this?. It was not that long ago that he was a simple Petty Officer on the planet Reach before it was besieged by the Covenant. As he looked across at his two companions on this mission, The Arbiter and the former Arena Champion Rhil Vahg, he thought that they were once his enemies, enemies who had killed his once friends and many Spartan Super-Soldiers on Reach, not to mention countless UNSC soldiers and human civilians on planets which had fallen victim to the Covenant in the years before the glassing of Reach and the discovery of the Halo Rings. He heard a knocking on the inside of his helmet

"I know what you're thinking" said Cortana interrupting his thought process "but now is not the time to visit the past, these new foes present a clear danger to the galaxy, as an A.I I would want to study them, but as an A.I with human emotions and thoughts...I want them gone before they can harm anyone"

The Chief thought to himself that she was right, these new threats these, Xenomorphs and Xenopredators, they were much more of a threat to humanity now, and The Elites he was fighting with had already helped save humanity from The Prophet of Truth and his Brute army. The Arbiter had even escaped the collapsing Ark with him, there was no need for him to hold this grudge with them, he may not have been able to forgive the Elites for their mass murder of humans during the war, but he could at least suppress it for the greater good, for now.

"Bearing 763 on Quadrant Wharg" Shouted an Elite Pilot from the control room of the Phantom, "We are almost at the Pyramid"

The Arbiter took his weapons, he wielded his Energy blade, which had served him well as he cut through the Flood infested High Charity and Ark Facility. Examining his blade he saw the Chief facing the floor. "Demon, you should not be disheartened, The Predators decieved you for their own game, they have no honour and gain pleasure in deception much like the Prophets"

"Pah" cut in Rhil Vahg "The Demon is a fool for being easily deceived" Rhil Vahg continued to examine his dual blades which seemed to put out a strange blue/purple aura and his plasma rifle which gave off a similar effect

The Chief noticed Rhil Vahgs glowing weaponry and turned to The Arbiter who seemed to know what he was going to say. "Rhil Vahgs weaponry are his own, he spent many years during conflict altering his weapons and adding new power sources in from planets which The Covenant took over, his blades use an experiments mineral which outputs an almost limitless amount of power, allowing  
him to wield them almost indefinitely and giving them more power than a normal energy sword, the aura makes the blade more potent and have more cutting ability, he only wields them in dire situations or heavy combat missions, and in a fight with a normal energy sword his ones would easily slice through it"

The Chief looked over at his Arena nemesis as he inspected the inner workings of his altered plasma rifle, The Arbiter continued talking "His plasma rifle too has also been tweaked. It uses the power of three normal plasma rifles and can potentially burn though walls, although it has not been fully tested in a combat environment, but we anticipate it has more power than the basic xenopredator shoulder mounted cannon which only the young or un-proven of their race wear"

"30 second till drop" shouted back the Elite Pilot

"This is it Chief" said Cortana "I hope you're ready"

The Chief stood up "Time to End this fight" he said confidently

"Wait what is...ARRRHG" they heard from the command room of the Phantom, they suddenly felt the Phantom begin to plummet

Three Predators looked on from the trees in the Jungle as one of them put away his shoulder mounted Cannon and watched as his prey fell from the sky and crashed into the Jungle below. Showing no contempt for it, he looked at his two subordinates and beckoned them to follow as they would stalk any survivors into the pyramid and they would become part of the Xenomorph hunt.

Climbing from the wreckage The Chief, The Arbiter and Rhil Vahg searched for the pilots, but realised that they were the surivivors of this crash, The Arbiter inspected the wreckage of the Phantom. "This was no accident" he proclaimed "These burns are from Shoulder mounted cannons carried by the xenopredators"

Rhil Vahg quickly drew both his blades and began to looks around where he stood "COME OUT YOU COWARDS!" He yelled at the top of his voice "FACE ME, I'LL CUT YOU DOWN WHERE YOU STAND!"

Cortana interrupted "that's not going to work, they are hunters, even if the prey becomes aware, they will just keep stalking you until they feel like they can get the most satisfaction out of the kill"

Rhil Vahg looked over at The Chief and withdrew his blades "hmph, pathetic cowards" he commented as he walked away

"Judging from your data the Pyramid can't be more than a few hundred meters away" Said Cortana

"Yes" replied The Arbiter "It is in a crater a 500 meters to the west"

"Then West is Where we head" Said Rhil Vahg angrily storming into the jungle followed by The Arbiter

"Hurry Demon, we cannot waste time" he said as he disappeared into the jungle

The Chief stood for a moment thinking to himself, to which Cortana interrupted again

"Don't worry, they would want you to face the foe they wanted you to face, you'll make it to that pyramid then you can finish this with them and these xenomorphs, maybe before it even starts this time" she added cheerfully.

The Chief looked into the jungle into the trees before heading out into the deep bushes to the pyramid, he seemed fully aware of the three Predators who were watching him from the trees where he was looking. One of them had his eyes fixed on the Chiefs visor, before he left towards the pyramid, almost like he was trying to stare down his prey. The Predator was thinking about how The Elites had, rather than kill The Chief, allow him to live and worse for the Predators, upgraded his armour. The Predator opened up a sub-routine on his wrist computer and scanned the Chiefs armour after he had left. Based on power outlets and visual data, not to mention the new weapon systems which the Elites had installed onto his previous armour, The Predators computer now rated the Chiefs armour as being a Class 10, going by Fore-runner measurements.

The Predator sent this data back to the control ship and awaited instruction, shortly after sending this new data on The Chief to his ship a new message arrived, it read "This New development will certainly be a problem for the initial plan, his new armour class of 10 exceeds anything we had planned for him. However he must be allowed into the Pyramid along with his companions, no matter how strong they are eventually they will become overwhelmed by the Xenomorphs superior numbers and viciousness, you are to stalk them and eliminate any Xenomorph which gets in your way, once they are dead you are to continue with your primary task, Capture the Queen and freeze her for transport to the Spartans Homeworld, where we may finally begin our hunting rites after almost a millenia of searching"

The three Predators understood their goals and new exactly what they were doing, unlike the hunters who would usually be tasked with hunting the xenomorphs in the pyramids, these hunters were far more trained and equipped, they were not the "New Blood" whom would need to hunt the Xenomorphs to prove their worth, these were some of the Predator Elite, they had survived countless encounters with many different species and had taken trophies from well over 1000 different enemy species from accross the galaxy, including the Dinosaurs of Earth, The former Great Water Serpents of Neptune, and The former Sky Demons of the Planet known as Harvest, before humanity had colonised it.

The Three Predator Elite, donned their active camoflague and headed off into the jungle, stalking their weary but still unaware prey to their fates.

**Sorry its taken me so long to start writing again, i've had alot to deal with, hopefully you've enjoyed my story so far and are still reading it. My next chapter will be more exciting than this, this is just a little something extra to try and please everyone. Enjoy and promise Chapter 8, coming soon.**


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